‘The enemy is constantly challenging us, and we have to think of quick solutions.’

By Hezy Laing

In a special interview with C14 (Hebrew) from deep in the field,  IDF reserve unit 636’s commanders reveals how the war has molded the soldiers into lethal fighting machine, led them to create army wide innovations and the price their families pay for their absence.

The mud of southern Lebanon, the noise of explosive drones in the air and the unceasing operational alertness – these are the lives of the reservists of Unit 636 since October 7.

The unit, which took part in all the ground maneuver operations since the beginning of the war, is currently operating deep inside the Lebanese sector under the command of the 146th Division. Its fighters are the eyes of the forces on the ground, but not only:

Recently, the unit’s fighters identified armed Hezbollah terrorists who were preparing to attack our forces, and closed a rapid circle of fire on them using drones and in cooperation with the air force, along with destroying anti-tank positions that were ready to be launched.

But behind these operational successes, there is an unimaginable story. These are reservists who are approaching a historic and unusual milestone by any standard: almost 500 days of reserve duty since the beginning of the war.

In a special interview from the field, the commander of the 636th Reserve Unit, Maj. R., the unit’s operations officer, Maj. (res.) D., and the reserve soldier Sgt. A., reveal the transformation that the unit has undergone, the technological developments that have been born on the battlefield, and the heavy personal price they and their families pay in order to protect their homes.

If at the beginning of the war Unit 636 was perceived as a collection and defense unit, today it is already a maneuverable, lethal and completely independent assault force.

“Our work has changed dramatically,” explains Sgt. A. “We started out as a unit that deals with gathering intelligence for design, with specific tasks of ongoing security. October 7 forced us to make adjustments.

We went from round to round, and from day to day we changed our combat doctrine.

We have become a maneuvering force that provides a 24/7 response – from observation and quality intelligence, through direct assistance to the forces, to precise attacks that have an impact on both the tactical and strategic levels.”

Maj. R., the commander of the unit, points to the “secret” behind this transformation: the reservists themselves. “The multiplier of our power is the people,” he explains. “The reservists, unlike regular soldiers, don’t change.

They accumulate enormous knowledge. These are people who come from citizenship – most of them are engineers, high-tech people, students and self-employed. Our ability today to identify an enemy and attack it is many times greater than it was in October. Our teams are literally ‘hunting’ the enemy on the ground.”

What is particularly fascinating about the unit’s activity is the way in which technology is developed not in air-conditioned laboratories in the Kirya, but in the Lebanese mud.

“The enemy is constantly challenging us, and we have to think of quick solutions,” says R. “A lot of the developments that we saw, both in defense and offense, did not come from huge companies from above, but from below – from the field.

We have integrators and engineers in our teams, and if there is an operational problem, they sit down and solve it themselves. Today, ideas that were born in our country are being disseminated for use in the IDF as a whole.”

He adds: “We have a common desire as a unit not to stay put. When we encounter a challenge that limits us, we mobilize as a team, experiment and invent creative solutions.

It doesn’t always look like an explosive product, sometimes it’s some ‘shtick’ that we made ourselves – but the goal is to reinvent the wheel and achieve operational achievements.”

The unit’s fighters are at the forefront of the fight against one of the most talked about threats of recent times: Hezbollah’s drones and explosive drones. As those who operate drones themselves, they are well acquainted with airspace.

“We are personally experiencing this threat on the ground,” R. admits. “This is a significant threat and we take it seriously.

The enemy understands that it is difficult to reach us for direct confrontation and physical contact, so it tries to harm us from a distance. But like any new threat in the IDF, we learn it quickly.

Today we have a much better understanding of how to conduct ourselves on the ground in order to reduce damage. Technological solutions of detection and interception are constantly evolving. We have to say clearly: This is not the threat that will decide the campaign. The IDF will know how to deal with more complex things, and we will know how to deal with that as well. We’re thinking one step ahead.”

The other side, and no less painful, side of the war is the personal price. The unit’s operations officer, Maj. (res’) D., provides a shocking glimpse of what the soldiers are going through.

“Every soldier here in the unit has already gone through almost 500 days of reserve duty. It’s paying a very heavy personal price. There are people here who were discharged from the army 15 years ago, along with newly discharged soldiers. They put the workplace aside, family aside, personal life aside.”

Her voice becomes emotional when she talks about the sacrifice:

“In my eyes, you have to take your hat off to the people who do it over and over again. We are proud and willing to do this, but you can’t just talk about operational successes without talking about the families who pay a heavy price, the jobs that are collapsing, and the people who have to build their lives almost from scratch every time they return home. There is a sense of mission and enormous sacrifice here for the sake of the residents of the north and for the sake of the country.”

R. is quick to reinforce her words and turns the spotlight to the home front: “You can’t finish without talking about the families. They are an integral part of our ability to act. They are the ones who give their back and allow the fighters to be here for so long. We salute the women, men and children at home. Without them, this activity simply wouldn’t have been possible.”

Towards the end of the interview, when they are asked about the mood of the unit after a year and a half of continuous fighting in enemy territory, their answer is surprising in its intensity.

“After 500 days of reserve duty, our motivation is still at its peak,” says P. without hesitation. “Like the first day you jumped on October 7?” we ask him. “More,” answer P. and R. together.

“We see the significance of what we do on a daily basis,” he explains. “We see how we give strength to families from the north, and before that to families in the border area. We have the ability and the tools to do it, and that’s our mission.”

When asked what they want to convey to the people of Israel, R. has one simple request, one that comes deep out of the Lebanese mud and is imbued with the experience of 500 days of battle: “That everyone be patient. May you have patience, may you be strong. Now it may be difficult, but in the end – we will win this war.”